The Supernatural Elements In Macbeth

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Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the supernatural but the interpretation which we can start with is Shakespeare’s. Everyone of Shakespeare’s time found the supernatural fascinating. Shakespeare interpreted the supernatural as witches, magic, unnatural and evil and he expressed his beliefs in the play, “Macbeth” very clearly, as he portrayed the three deformed women with control over the weather and the ability to predict the future. These three evil witches with magical powers were the creation of Shakespeare’s interpretation of the supernatural. Shakespeare’s contemporaries believed in the supernatural very strongly and a majority of them were frightened of it, including the king of that time, King James I of England. In Shakespeare's time, many people were superstitious; they believed that that their lives were strongly influenced, if not dictated by fate. They also thought that the world was full of supernatural creatures, such as witches, ghosts, and many other such beings. Shakespeare incorporated these aspects of belief in his play Macbeth. The witches, although accurately predicting what would occur, i.e., Macbeth would be king, they did not specify how their prophecies would be realized. We can conclude that there are five important events showing the supernatural elements in Macbeth. Namely, the witches, the air-drawn dagger, the unnatural happenings, the ghost of Banquo and the apparitions According to the Oxford Advanced Learner dictionary, 'supernatural' refers to things that cannot be explained by natural or physical laws. The presence of supernatural forces in "Macbeth," provides for much of the play's dramatic tension and the mounting suspense. In this paper we shall look at some of supernatural elements in the play. . Since it was an interesting issue which many people of Shakespeare’s time felt
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